txolops Chapter 87 A potent cure for a chronic illness; paper officials governing the government
Chapter 87 A potent cure for a chronic illness; paper officials governing the government
Chapter 87 A potent cure for a chronic illness; paper officials governing the government
The next morning, the official document appointing Gu Yan as acting county magistrate arrived.
The air inside the county government hall was heavy.
Gu Yan sat upright beneath the plaque of "Bright Mirror" hanging high above, not wearing official robes, yet he was more dignified than any high-ranking official in scarlet robes.
After achieving the Divine Path Foundation Establishment, he no longer needed to project his spiritual power. Even if he simply sat there quietly, his majestic aura was enough to make people dare not look directly at him.
Below the hall, a dark mass of people knelt.
These people were not ordinary people, but rather the heads and clerks of the six branches of Changning County, as well as a few remaining representatives of the local gentry in the city.
They usually wield great power in the county town, but now they are like a flock of quails waiting to be slaughtered, their foreheads pressed against the floor tiles, not daring to breathe.
"Get up, everyone."
Gu Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it penetrated everyone's eardrums, carrying an undeniable solemnity.
The crowd stood up tremblingly, heads bowed, not daring to look at the excessively young acting magistrate above them.
"I have summoned you all here today for no other reason than to establish some rules."
Gu Yan tapped the gavel lightly with his fingers, the light, airy rhythm sending chills down the spines of everyone present.
"When Wu Decai was in power, the rules in Changning County were that the accounts were split 30/70, the fire tax was kept privately, and the treatment was based on personal connections. Those were his rules, not mine."
The head of the household affairs office standing at the very front was a thin, old man surnamed Qian.
He mustered his courage, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, this rule was passed down from our ancestors. As the saying goes, 'If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.' If we don't have these writing fees, the brothers below might not even have enough to eat. If they become passive and lazy, the county's administration might be paralyzed."
The implication couldn't be clearer.
Although the clerks in the government offices had no official rank, they wielded real power.
In the past, no matter which new official took office, there were always new county magistrates but permanent clerks.
If we don't get their cooperation, we're no different from deaf and blind people; our orders can't even get out of the county government office.
After Qian finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Gu Yan out of the corner of his eye, as if he had already seen the young immortal master's timid expression.
However, Gu Yan just smiled, which disappointed him.
"Manager Qian is right."
Gu Yan nodded, his tone gentle: "Brothers, you've worked hard, and you certainly can't work on an empty stomach. Since everyone feels that your current salary is not enough to support your families, then I will grant your request."
Manager Qian was secretly pleased, thinking that this gentleman had given in.
The next second, Gu Yan changed the subject, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"By order of this official, effective immediately, all clerks and officials in the six departments of the county government are hereby dismissed. Since you think the pay is too low, then go home and farm. There, there is no fixed salary, and the more you work, the more you earn."
Upon hearing this, the people in the hall could not believe it.
Chief Clerk Qian stared wide-eyed at Gu Yan in disbelief: "Sir! Please reconsider! Fire all the officials? Who will collect taxes? Who will adjudicate cases? Who will organize the documents? Will this county government even continue to function?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Yan sent out hundreds of exquisitely cut paper figures.
These paper figures grew taller in the wind, and upon landing, they transformed into neat but dull-looking civil officials dressed in gray.
They moved in unison, quickly moving to their respective desks. Some picked up brushes, while others opened account books, and began to work methodically.
The abacus clattered loudly, like a sudden gust of wind and a torrential downpour, precise and efficient.
"I am a cultivator from the Flowing Cloud Sect. Please do not be surprised by my little trick of turning beans into soldiers."
Looking at the stunned crowd, Gu Yan said calmly, "These paper puppets don't eat or drink, they're not greedy or greedy, they never tire, and they're absolutely loyal. They can do accounting ten times faster than you, and they can copy documents a hundred times more neatly than you."
He leaned down, his eyes sharp as a tiger: "Finally, they won't need any writing fees, nor will they engage in any wasteful practices."
Manager Qian's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
His monopoly on administrative execution became a complete joke when faced with the methods of cultivators.
In reality, the bureaucratic system is bloated and inefficient because it is full of interpersonal relationships and exchanges of interests.
However, Gu Yan replaced the officials with paper figures, directly cutting off all the gray areas in between.
This is an absolutely rational and absolutely incorruptible administrative machine.
"As for you local gentry..."
Gu Yan's gaze passed over the limp clerk and landed on the several well-dressed old men.
"I have reviewed the compiled land register."
Gu Yan picked up a thick booklet, randomly flipped to a page, and wrote, "The Li family in the south of the city owns 300 mu of fertile land. How come when it's time to pay taxes, 30 mu have become wasteland? What happened to the remaining 270 mu?"
Master Li shuddered, his back soaked with cold sweat.
This practice of hiding land to avoid taxes was an open secret among the powerful families. In previous years, as long as they gave some silver to the tax collectors, the matter would be over.
But now everyone in the household has left, and sitting there are just a bunch of emotionless paper figures!
"My lord—this—this is a huge misunderstanding—"
Master Li stammered as he explained.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, I know the answer in my heart."
Gu Yan closed the booklet, his voice turning cold: "Regardless of the past, from today onwards, Changning County will implement the land tax system. The poll tax will be abolished, and all taxes will be incorporated into the land tax. Those with more land will pay more, those with less land will pay less, and those with no land will pay nothing."
These words struck like a thunderbolt, and the faces of the local gentry turned ashen.
The old tax system was based on a per capita tax, which made the poor poorer as they had more children, while the rich could use their privileges to be exempt from taxes.
Collecting taxes based on land area is like cutting off their flesh!
"My lord! This is against ancestral rules!"
A local gentryman, who had studied the classics for several years, cried out in grief and indignation: "Such reforms violate the teachings of the sages and may cause a popular uprising!"
"A popular uprising?"
Gu Yan chuckled, stood up, and walked down the steps one by one.
"Do you mean by 'popular uprising' you intend to rebel?"
He walked up to the local gentry, revealing a glimpse of the overwhelming pressure emanating from him, a power akin to that of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.
In a daze, everyone seemed to see a majestic Dharma image rising behind Gu Yan. The Dharma image looked down on all living beings, with no emotion in its eyes, only the impartiality and indifference of the Heavenly Dao.
"This is not a discussion, it's a notification."
Gu Yan's voice echoed in the minds of the gentry: "Within three days, pay back the taxes evaded over the past ten years. For every penny short, I will reclaim an acre of your land. If anyone dares to incite unrest during this period—"
"die!"
Half an hour later, the people in the hall walked out in fear and unease.
Gu Yan sat back down in his chair, looked at the busy paper figures all over the room, and rubbed his temples.
"Sir, your move to merge land tax with poll tax has offended these local bullies to the death."
Xiao Chen emerged from behind the screen, still holding the sword in his hand, a hint of admiration on his face. "Although I don't understand politics, I know this is cutting off someone's livelihood. If they unite or complain to higher authorities, there might be trouble."
"Trouble? With them?"
-
Gu Yan picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam. "Senior brother, Changning County is too poor."
He pulled one out of the pile of accounts and handed it to Xiao Chen.
"Although confiscating the property of Wu Decai and Zhao Yuanwai yielded a considerable amount of cash and grain, it was merely a drop in the ocean compared to the water conservancy repairs and road paving in the entire Changning County. Not to mention, I still need to distribute seeds to the people and build schools."
"These local gentry control 70% of Changning County's wealth. If we don't squeeze money out of them, are we supposed to squeeze those peasants instead?"
There was something Gu Yan didn't say.
His reforms were not merely for the sake of so-called justice, but also to consolidate his divine position by creating conflict.
Only when the people realize that Gu Qingtian is fighting against the powerful and wealthy in the city for their sake will their gratitude transform into unwavering faith.
This is a meticulously planned political show, and also a war waged for spiritual cultivation.
"By the way, senior brother."
Gu Yan glanced at Xiao Chen's side, noticing someone was missing, and asked in confusion, "Where's Senior Sister Song?"
"She went to the mortuary outside the city."
Xiao Chen replied, "I heard there was some unusual activity over there last night; it seems there were outside cultivators spying on us."
"Foreign cultivators?"
Gu Yan frowned and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Changning County is such a desolate place that even a wandering cultivator wouldn't bother coming here normally.
Now that Mud Bodhisattva has just died and the Blood River Sect's connection has just been severed, outsiders have arrived?
"It seems that our commotion here has finally attracted the attention of some people."
Gu Yan stood up, walked to the door, and looked at the bustling street outside.
Since he announced the integration of land tax and poll tax last night, the people on the street are still watching, but their eyes are no longer numb.
Countless golden beams, some thick and some thin, rose from every corner of the county town, converging into his dantian and continuously reinforcing the towering structure.
"Senior brother, come with me somewhere."
"where?"
"Dragon Burial Mountain Range"
When he was building his foundation in the Divine Path, he traveled through the void and vaguely sensed an ancient and decaying aura deep within the earth's veins of Changning County, which echoed the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range.
That aura was neither demon, nor monster, nor immortal; it was more like that of a dead god.
If he can solve this mystery, perhaps his divine cultivation can advance even further.
Outside Changning County, at Shilipo.
A solitary teahouse sits by the roadside.
There was only one customer in the teahouse.
He was a young monk dressed in a white robe, with red lips and white teeth, and was exceptionally handsome.
He was holding a string of bone-white Buddhist beads in his hand, smiling as he looked at the brand-new notice posted on the wall.
"The land tax was converted into a poll tax, and paper officials were put in charge of governance—Amitabha, this benefactor Gu really has great courage."
The young monk picked up the teacup, took a small sip of coarse tea, and a strange red light flashed in his eyes.
"But I wonder, is this method of seizing the bounty of heaven and earth and gathering the offerings of countless people truly the Taoist principle of tranquility and inaction, or the wolfish ambition of a usurper?"
He put down his teacup, left behind a copper coin engraved with a lotus flower mark, and then got up and walked towards Changning County.
As he stepped down, the wild grass at his feet instantly turned yellow and withered, its vitality fading.
In the shadows behind him, countless distorted faces were wailing silently.
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